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I have a new 2013 328i M Sport and understand that there are no front fog lighs and I can live with that but wonder why there isn't the rear fog light/lamp. All my MB's, Porsche's, Audi's have had a rear fog but not the BMW - why is that?

I hate running into cars with rear fog lights. Some drivers don't seem to know their are supposed to be used only under extreme conditions. They are very bright so it is a pain to be driving behind a car that has them permantly on. I think it might make the brake lights coming on less noticeable.

In the US-spec F30, I don't believe we even have the switch to engage them. So you would first need to add that. I don't know if the wiring is there anyways,

On the E90, the rear fog light is already installed. You just need to shave off a couple of little tabs from the underside of what would be the switch. I believe there is a post in that forum about it. I wonder if the F30 is the same.

I only use that light if it is snowing fairly heavily, raining very heavily or dense fog. I understand how you would know if someone is using the rear fog light improperly. How would you know if someone was using it properly (ie if the conditions don't dictate its use and you see a BMW, how do you know they correctly don't have the light on or just don't have the light to begin with)?

How would you know if someone was using it properly (ie if the conditions don't dictate its use and you see a BMW, how do you know they correctly don't have the light on or just don't have the light to begin with)?

CA law states rear fog lights are to be used only when visibility is less than 500 feet. Most MBZ and Audi owners apparently either have poor eye sight or have no clue about distances.

BMW owners are already considered jerks, we don't need another thing to piss off other drivers with. I've never seen anyone in the US using their rear fogs correctly.

A month or two ago I saw the other guy (besides you and I ): A Mercedes-Benz tooling up a 40-mile stretch of Interstate, moving in and out of dense fog and misty conditions. We were both turning the rear fogs on and off quite a bit.

Because it's really annoying when people turn them on when there is no fog. Ran into a C300 that had it on tonight. It was annoying as hell driving behind him.

What is it about them that annoys you so much? They are not bright enough to dazzle you like high beam headlights. It seems the only problem they present is that you think their brakes are on. If they are on only one side that is less likely. They also typically switch off when the headlights are turned off and they have to be consciously switched back on to use them again.

When I see people driving around with rear fogs on unneccessarily, I just think they are silly or stupid, but it doesn't blind me, nor do I feel the need the flash them.

What is it about them that annoys you so much? They are not bright enough to dazzle you like high beam headlights. It seems the only problem they present is that you think their brakes are on. If they are on only one side that is less likely. They also typically switch off when the headlights are turned off and they have to be consciously switched back on to use them again.

When I see people driving around with rear fogs on unneccessarily, I just think they are silly or stupid, but it doesn't blind me, nor do I feel the need the flash them.

Maybe my eyes are more sensitive than yours, but driving on a clear night, maybe a bit tired, I do find it 'painful' driving behind a car who turned the rear fogs.

On the E90, the rear fog light is already installed. You just need to shave off a couple of little tabs from the underside of what would be the switch. I believe there is a post in that forum about it. I wonder if the F30 is the same.

On my E90, I replaced the headlight switch with a European specification switch. That enabled the rear foglights. It is plug-and-play. All bulbs and wiring are already in place.

It is my understanding that on the F30, the rear foglights can also be enabled by replacing the headlight switch. But with one exception. The rear foglights must then be enabled by coding in the electronic control module. Again, all bulbs and wiring are already in place.

I read a tutorial and enabled them in my car. Took a nickel, a pen cap, some super glue and about an hour of my time. The only time I turn them on is in dense fog or rain or if someone is tail gaiting me. I'd heard that they don't trust US drivers with them.

What is it about them that annoys you so much? They are not bright enough to dazzle you like high beam headlights. It seems the only problem they present is that you think their brakes are on. If they are on only one side that is less likely. They also typically switch off when the headlights are turned off and they have to be consciously switched back on to use them again.

When I see people driving around with rear fogs on unneccessarily, I just think they are silly or stupid, but it doesn't blind me, nor do I feel the need the flash them.

They dazzle me because to my eyes, they are as bright as the high beams. My eyes start to hurt. When the conditions are clear, there is no need to have them on.

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Originally Posted by CaptainAudio

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Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

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BMW's rear fog lights are disabled on US vehicles because they are symmetrical and physically too close to the brake lights--the DOT believes they can be too easily mistaken for brake lights. Many other European cars are OK because they illuminate only one side or exceed the minimum separation between fogs and tail lamps (whatever that may be). I suppose the reasoning is that some halfwit driving with rear fog lights on in clear weather may cause some inattentive halfwit following behind to fail to stop in time because the real brake lights somehow went unnoticed. If there's one thing the government loves to do by regulation, it's protect halfwits from themselves...so there you are.

One minor drawback of the rear fog lights: Whillle they are on, the dynamic brake force lights are inactive because that is another function of the same lamps. So if you really stand on the brakes, following traffic no longer gets the STOPSTOPSTOP NOW! warning of that additional pair of lights.

BMW owners are already considered jerks, we don't need another thing to piss off other drivers with. I've never seen anyone in the US using their rear fogs correctly.

Tim

Then you've never driven behind me in heavy rain, snow or fog. Yes, I'm an enthusiast, and probably one of a very few people who know what they are and how to correctly use them.

I had to retrofit my Passat with the capability of the rear fog by replacing the light switch with a Euro-spec version, running a wire from that switch to the tail light, and doing some minor modifications to the wiring on the tail light. My Passat has 4 red brake lights. 1 of them on the driver side is what is used as the rear fog.

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Originally Posted by terryn

What is it about them that annoys you so much? They are not bright enough to dazzle you like high beam headlights. It seems the only problem they present is that you think their brakes are on. If they are on only one side that is less likely. They also typically switch off when the headlights are turned off and they have to be consciously switched back on to use them again.

When I see people driving around with rear fogs on unneccessarily, I just think they are silly or stupid, but it doesn't blind me, nor do I feel the need the flash them.

People who have no clue how to correctly use the features of their cars turn on all the lights (headlights, front fogs, and rear fogs) because they think having lights on the car is cool. I'll usually see Audis driving down the highway on a bright, sunny day with the rear fogs on. It's confusing to most people because they can be mistaken for brake lights. And like following a brake-rider, you have more risk of rear-ending them because you may fail to react to real braking/brake lights. Plus, on a dark highway, that high-intensity fog/brake bulb does dazzle your eyes.

My own rule is that whatever car I drive has to meet ECE lighting specs. This includes amber turn signals, side repeaters, and rear foglights. My X3 meets those requirements (and doesn't meet FMVSS anymore). I went thru the trouble of installing wiring, switch, and tapping a power source, yet don't use rear foglights frequently. however I live in the mountains where fog is somewhat pervasive so I use them when appropriate, when forward visiblility falls below 100m.

For future car purchases, if I can't readily convert it "back" to ECE lighting specs, I won't buy the car, period. Pretty simple.

On my E90, I replaced the headlight switch with a European specification switch. That enabled the rear foglights. It is plug-and-play. All bulbs and wiring are already in place.

It is my understanding that on the F30, the rear foglights can also be enabled by replacing the headlight switch. But with one exception. The rear foglights must then be enabled by coding in the electronic control module. Again, all bulbs and wiring are already in place.

In what module is the coding for the rear foglights located on the F30?